Thermal Entanglement in Ferrimagnetic Chains

A formula to evaluate the entanglement in an one-dimensional ferrimagnetic system is derived. Based on the formula, we find that the thermal entanglement in a small size spin-1/2 and spin-s ferrimagnetic chain is rather robust against temperature, and the threshold temperature may be arbitrarily high when s is sufficiently large. This intriguing result answers unambiguously a fundamental question: ``can entanglement and quantum behavior in physical systems survive at arbitrary high temperatures?"Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Method and apparatus for producing concentric hollow spheres

Hollow spheres with precisely concentric inner and outer spherical surfaces are formed by applying vibrations to a nonconcentric hollow sphere while it is at an elevated temperature at which it is fluid or plastic, the vibrations producing internal flows which cause the inner and outer surfaces to become precisely concentric. Concentric spheres can be mass produced by extruding a material such as glass or metal while injecting a stream of gas into the center of the extrusion to form a gas-filled tube. Vibrations are applied to the extruded tube to help break it up into individual bodies of a desired uniform size, the bodies tending to form spherical inner and outer surfaces by reason of surface tension, and the continuing application of vibrations causing these surfaces to become concentric

Operator fidelity susceptibility: an indicator of quantum criticality

We introduce the operator fidelity and propose to use its susceptibility for characterizing the sensitivity of quantum systems to perturbations. Two typical models are addressed: one is the transverse Ising model exhibiting a quantum phase transition, and the other is the one dimensional Heisenberg spin chain with next-nearest-neighbor interactions, which has the degeneracy. It is revealed that the operator fidelity susceptibility is a good indicator of quantum criticality regardless of the system degeneracy.Comment: Four pages, two figure

Acoustic energy shaping

A suspended mass is shaped by melting all or a selected portion of the mass and applying acoustic energy in varying amounts to different portions of the mass. In one technique for forming an optical waveguide slug, a mass of oval section is suspended and only a portion along the middle of the cross-section is heated to a largely fluid consistency. Acoustic energy is applied to opposite edges of the oval mass to press the unheated opposite edge portions together so as to form bulges at the middle of the mass. In another technique for forming a ribbon of silicon for constructing solar cells, a cylindrical thread of silicon is drawn from a molten mass of silicon, and acoustic energy is applied to opposite sides of the molten thread to flatten it into a ribbon